It’s incredible how many Yankees cards there are in this set. I’ve been trying to even out the deck by getting a lot of Yanks cards out of the way. So, here’s Graig Nettles – in action (’cause Topps really didn’t understand that action shots should be on every card anyway) I remember being disappointed [...]
I always liked this card, ’cause the name was unique and his look was different. A lot of cards in this set show guys with beards, mustache’s, and hair flying out from under their cap. This guy has none of that going on. He’s got his own look, and a concentrated stare.
The original A-Rod to man the hot corner in the Bronx, Aurelio Rodriguez came up to the major leagues as an infielder for a west coast American League team, played third base for the Yankees, batted over .400 in a World Series, and his rookie card is sought after by collectors.
Here’s the irony in this bunch of Yankees that got voted into the 1981 All-Star game in Cleveland—Goose Gossage, perhaps the best player of the five, wasn’t voted in by the fans. Yeah. At the break, Goose led all major league relievers by a few miles with a 0.56 ERA & 17 saves. His 10 [...]
In 1981, Bucky Dent made his third and final appearance in an All-Star game. This was his second straight year in the midsummer classic, and it was clearly due to Yankee fans ballot stuffing. He made the best of it though, going 2-for-2 with a double.
The first half of 1981 was not Reggie Jackson’s finest hour or even close to it. By the time the strike happened, Reggie was hitting just .199/.330/.379. Nonetheless, the fans voted him into the All-Star game and gave them exactly what they asked for – a .199 hitter.
Even though people were still arguing about whether Dave Winfield was worth the historic sized contract, he earned his first AL All-Star appearance by being a huge factor in the Yankees win a division title in the first half of the 1981 split-season. If not for him, the team might not have made it to the playoffs.
Willie Randolph was only batting .171 with a .304 OBP at the end of May 3, but then he got hot. Hot enough to grab the starting spot in the All-Star game and help the Yankees win the first half of the season in the AL East.
One of baseball’s biggest stars, Mr October (aka Reggie Jackson) had an amazing career that excited fans from the west coast to the east.
Ron Guidry looks like plastic man here, with his skinny long limbs stretched out just before he whips the ball towards home plate. The mustache and hat are all just part of disguise to make him look like an average Joe….or, average Ron.
From 1975 through 1985, Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage was arguably the best fireman in the major leagues.
In ’82, Goose led his team in WAR, which is very rare for a reliever to do. He mighted even posted a sub-2.00 ERA if not for 1 bad outing in Chicago. Nonetheless, he rebounded and finished the year hot.
Reliever Ron Davis was on fire when he took the mound in Anaheim on May 4, 1981. Nobody could hit him, and from the photo on this card, you can understand why. He looks like he’s going to beat up anyone who dares step up to the plate next. That’s rather intimidating.
At the beginning of ’82, nobody viewed the Yankees as a team in need of talent. They either had it, or could buy it when they needed it. Of course, history tells us that ’82 was the start of the Yankees playoff drought and time for some rebuilding of the franchise during some dark years.
Dave Revering wasn’t a very good player by this point in his career, but the photo on his card is a nice action shot. Former Big Red Machine prospect, who never lived up to his potential. Sad, but hey, they can’t all turn out like we’d like them to.